This is a zine dedicated to black metal written by a follower of the left hand path, This zine has been around in a different format for a while and I have decided to make an edition for www.blogger.com, for more information email occultblackmetalzine@yahoo.com, new albums as well as classic albums will be reviewed on here as long as their good quality black metal,

Saturday, October 31, 2015

1.Can you give us an update on what is going on with the band these days?

--Idolatry is just about to headline a black/doom festival called Black Mourning Light on Halloween. A grand ritual is planned for this. Once complete, we enter the studio to record our full length " Visions from the Throne of Eyes" as well as booking some touring in the USA in 2016

2.So far you have released an ep and have also been a part of a split, how would you describe the musical sound that is present on both recordings and also how do they differ from each other?

--we are fortunate to have Daemonikus Abominor amongst us as he is a sound tech by trade. On both recordings we sought a fine line of raw production that isn't overtly muddy and indiscernible. Akin to the sound of early Behexen/Sargeist albums. I personally feel he achieved this quite well.

On the 7" split with Unrest, we had a slightly new line up; with Valac Nocturnum departing and Lycaon Vollmond taking over guitars. There is an evolution of sound between them in terms of dynamics I believe...

Also I had a wretched throat infection at the time of the recordings for the split. There is a noticeable sickness in my voice that we felt suited a single song release and the depraved subject matter of the lyrics.

3.Can you tell us a little bit more about the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the music?

--there's a wide range of scope in lyrics with us... Periods in history that define Satanic virtue, crushing depression/despair, black magic/witchcraft, elements of nature that affect us... Anything that awakens our senses , unified by the values inherent in being ones own master and opposing anything alterior to such exaltation.

4.I have seen the term 'Atheistic Satanism' which is usually more influenced by Lavey, Neitzsche, and Rand, why did you choose this approach as opposed to theistic Satanism and also do you have any interest in other types of Occultism?

--absolutely. I consider Rand and Nietzsche to be the cornerstones of my philosophy. Rand is true Satanism in practice. Living, breathing and exerting Satanic values in real life. The true question of religion isn't god or no god, it's ability versus need at the heart of the matter. The needy are empty inside themselves and fabricate deities to absolve their short comings and errors; while the able... the truly powerful... Know that they are complete in and of themselves and don't need to seek anything from outside. Purpose and drive. That is the true Satanist. 'Satan' is Latin for 'adversary' and that's what Idolatry are... The adversary of religion. Theistic Satanism requires a believe in that which the senses cannot perceive and although many of their tenets are similar, Idolatry does not deal in esoteric solutions.

I enjoy the study of occultism and have done since I was very young, but I take it at face value. Whatever your emotional output conjures, your only realistic benefit is the expulsion of energies to that effect.

5.Recently the author Lord Matzigkeitus released a book of Satanic Poetry, can you tell us a little bit more about this novel and also are there any future writings planned?

--( I am him) the book is a poetic interpretation of living as a Satanist. Although the subject matter, which ranges from Death, despair, and witchery to harsh kinky bondage sex, does not solely center itself on Satanism itself, it does give an unfiltered viewpoint from one who has chosen to walk the left hand path with passion and no reservations.

The art is lavishly done by Jan Pysander Whitney who has done album covers for Drowning the Light. It's a great presentation overall I'm pleased with it. More is always in the works. 17 new entries at the time of this writing...

6.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Idolatry'?

--it is indicative of man worshiping Idols. That man must only worship himself as he is the vessel by which he experiences reality, and also as a mockery of those that would have fictions as their point of worship

7.What are some of the best shows that the band has played over the years and also how would you describe your stage performance?

--in Sudbury on tour earlier this year, Ash from legendary German black metal band Nargaroth was in attendance having heard our music beforehand. During the performance a pipe burst directly above the stage.... As workers frantically tried to temporarily patch the roof, fans motioned towards the door thinking the night was undone, but I ordered them to stay. I told them a story of how as we recorded " Of Myth and Shadow" we had struggled over a section of it, as we came outside to take a breather, the sky opened up and dumped it's fury and might on us. Lightening, thunder and heavy rain. I recorded the sound of it and we went back in and crushed the song in one take. As I finished the entire venue was enraptured by the story and the repairs had been made. We played through our set to a crowd greedy for each note. Ash recorded the performance and proclaimed that we were " the best black metal show he's seen in years" openly on the Nargaroth page the next day....

Our stage show is theatre, manic vicious energy and power. Using the imagery of the old ways of black metal. It can be seen on YouTube. Ash's video " Idolatry Waterfall Ritual"

8.Do you have any touring or show plans for the future?

--we are currently organizing shows and festivals in the USA and looking to Europe on the horizon.

9.Recently you where a part of a split with 'Unrest', what are your thoughts on the solo project that had participated on the recording?

--Destroyer from Unrest and I are currently working on my eponymous project Lord Matzigkeitus. I'm obviously a supporter of his work. Unrest is dirty, ugly and barbaric in an uncompromising manner. It's inaccessibility is also its appeal to me.

10.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of black metal?

--Internationally, response has been unbelievable. We currently have distribution deals in Russia, Ukraine, Germany, and Brazil. As well as serious discussions regarding the future recordings with noted U.S. Labels. Aside from North America, our biggest supporters are in Latin America. The Latin fans are rabid and die hard. Very loyal and community driven in their support circles.

11.Are any of the band members also involved with any other bands or musical projects?

--Daemonikus Abominor plays in Blëed, a local death/thrash band who just released their album " the Hatred Inside" as well as excellent industrial band Ivardensphere who earlier this year unleashed "Fable"

I myself have been heavily active on projects of late... With the assistance of Destroyer of Unrest and a host of other spellcasters, I just completed the first Lord Matzigkeitus album" Isophillic Dementia Overture" which is an Xasthurian spoken word black metal record and am actively at work on its follow up " Poisonous Disengagement" which is to be in a more vicious vein. I'm also writing lyrics for and performing vocals on a black metal opera with a band called Sartoraaus out of Texas, USA. I'm also likely contributing to an upcoming Unrest album.

12.When can we expect a full length and also where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?

--Our full length will likely see an early 2016 release.

We shall stay the course musically with the dynamic black metal we have crafted thus far. Idolatry have discussed recording a grim, more sombre doom/dsbm EP in the fall of 2016. Some of the newer songwriting veers into that path. I doubt we could stray from the fury we perpetrate for too long though.

13.What are some of the bands or musical styles that have had an influence on your newer music and also what are you listening to nowadays?

--Idolatry has varying tastes overall. As a whole, for black metal, we gravitate towards the excellent bands coming out of the Finnish scene. Horna, Behexen, Sargeist, Satanic Warmaster come to mind. DA and myself are into harsh dsbm such as Nyktalgia, Silencer, Bethlehem etc... As well as him and I both love Twisted Sister and WASP.

Lycaon is into Swedish death metal, and black metal with folk elements like Windir, and Nokturnal Mortum.

Personally, I've been dwelling on Jim Morrison's spoken word poetry album "An American Prayer" and a murk and mire of Xasthur, Striborg and Leviathan, which are all heavy influences on my solo project.

14.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?

Friday, October 30, 2015

Grey Heaven Fall are a band from Russia that plays a very hypnotic mixture of black and death metal and this is a review of their 2015 album "Black Wisdom" which was released by Aesthetics Of Devastation".

A very distorted sound starts off the album before going into a very fast and technical black metal direction that also uses a great amount of blast beats and the vocals are done in a blackened death metal growling fashion and some of the riffs also use avant garde structures in more of a heavier fashion.

Most of the tracks are very long and epic in length and clean singing can be heard in certain sections of the recording and the solos and leads are very melodic while the vocals get demonic at times and the songs bring in a great mixture of slow, mid paced and fast parts and fast parts and the music can be very progressive at times and the slow riffs bring in a heavy doom metal influence and the music can also be very atmospheric at times along with some songs bringing in a small amount of clean playing.

Grey Heaven Fall plays a musical style that takes a technical style of black metal and mixes it with death metal, melodic and progressive music to create a style of their own, the production sounds very powerful while the lyrics are a concept based on the corruption of the creator.

In my opinion Grey Heaven Fall are a very great hypnotic mixture of black and death metal and if you a fan of those musical genres, you should check out this band. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "Spirit Of Oppression" "Sanctuary Of Cut Tongues". 8 out of 10.

Pokolj are a band from Croatia that plays a very raw and old school form of black metal and this is a review of their self released 2015 ep "Miiserable Spectres".

A very dark and atmospheric synth starts off the ep and a few seconds later the music gets more heavy and goes into a black metal direction along with some high pitched depressive black metal screams and when the music speeds up the songs start bringing in more raw energy along with a few blast beats.

Throughout the recording there is a great mixture of slow, mid paced and fast parts and both of the tracks are very long and epic in length and the music is very heavily rooted in the 90's second wave style and the guitars also bring in a great amount of tremolo picking and the songs are mostly done in power chords and they close the demo with a synth outro.

Pokolj plays a style of black metal that is very raw and old school and also brings in some of the early depressive style, the production sounds very raw and old school while the lyrics cover dark themes.

in mu opinion Pokolj are a very great sounding raw black metal duo and if you are a fan of this musical genre, you should check out this demo. RECOMMENDED TRACK "Fragments Of Sanity". 8 out of 10.

This is a review of a book written by Lord Matzigkeitus better known as the lead singer of Canada's Atheistic Satanist band 'Idolatry called "Catharsis Spoke Her Virtuous Evil" which was published by ATHLOS Publications and consists of poems about death, despair, Satan and raw kinky bondage sex.

The book starts out with a forward written by Dustin Ekman who explains what the book is about and talks about the authors involvement with music and also explains the messages he brings out in the book where stuff he could not explain in the lyrics for the band 'Idolatry'.

A lot of the poetry expressed in the book seems to be very heavily influenced by Satanism and Nietchean philosophy while some parts bring in suicide into a more poetic fashion while other parts border more on the kinkier side of sex and you can also see the influence of DeSade in some of the writing.

At times the novel takes a ritualistic approach to Satanism and just like with the writings with Lavey you can see a touch of Nordic Mythology in some parts of certain poems and the artwork also brings in images that are very related to the depressive side of black metal while some poems bring to mind the writings of Poe, Bauldeire, Shelly and Lord Bryon giving the novel more of a classic feeling while still having very much of an Anti Christian approach while later poems bring in a touch of Summerian, Voodoo, and Magick, as the novel progresses the Roman Empire starts getting mentioned more.

In my opinion this is a very decent read and while it does not get more in depth on the Left Hand Path like the writings of Michael W. Ford and E.A Koetting it is still a very good read that has Satanism and Occultism written in more of an esoteric and poetic form and if you have studied or practiced the Black Arts, you can catch on to a lot of the hidden messages.

Curezum are a band from Portland, Oregon that consists of members from Megaton Leviathan and Barrowlands that covers songs from the legendary goth rock band 'The Cure' and takes it more into a black metal influenced style and this is a review of their self released 2015 single "100 Years/The Top" which will be released in November.

Programmed drum beats start off the single along with some depressive yet melodic guitar leads and atmospheric keyboards before adding in suicidal style high pitched black metal screams and you can also hear all of the musical instruments that are present on the recording and the music sticks to a very slow musical direction.

While the solos and leads have more of a post rock and goth feeling the guitars and vocals add in a very raw and depressive black metal style that also makes both of the songs sound very different from the original versions which where done without any harsh or extreme metal elements and both of the tracks are very long and epic in length on one the second song melodic guitar leads and psychedelic elements can be heard.

Curezum takes a couple of classic songs from The Cure and adds in more of a modern, raw and depressive black metal twist to them as well as showing both of the genres are very much compatible with each other, the production sounds very raw, lo-fi yet heavy at the same time while the lyrics cover dark, depressive and gloomy themes.

In my opinion Curezum are a very great sounding black metal tribute to The Cure and if you are a fan of this legendary band and black metal and would like to see them mix together, you should check out this single. RECOMMENDED TRACK "The Top". 8 out of 10.

Thursday, October 29, 2015

Norway's Kampfar have returned with a new album that continues the pagan and viking black metal sound that they are very well known for and this is a review of their 2015 album "Profan" which will be released in November by Indie Recordings.

Distorted sounds and grim black metal screams start off the album before getting more high pitched and also going into a very fast and raw musical direction that also utilizes a great amount of blast beats along with with the vocals getting very hateful at times and all of the musical instruments have a very powerful sound to them.

Throughout the recording there is a great mixture of slow, mid paced and fast parts and the riffs also bring in a great amount of melodies at times and the vocals also have a melodic touch to them in certain sections of the recording bring in a rough style of clean singing and the solos and leads that are brought onto the album remain true to a Norwegian style of black metal.

Violins and classic music elements can be heard briefly before making a return back to a more raw style of black metal and the melodic chants also gives the songs more of a pagan feeling when they are brought onto the recording and when synths are added into the music for a few seconds they bring in more atmospheric elements and a couple of the tracks are very long and epic in length.

Kampfar creates another album that remains true to a raw style of Norwegian black metal while still having a bit of their pagan roots in them as well as getting more aggressive with edge unlike the other veteran bands of their homeland, the production sounds very professional while the lyrics are written in a mixture of Norwegian and English and cover Norse Paganism, History Anti Religion and Society themes.

In my opinion this is another great sounding recording from Kampfar and if you are a fan of this band, you should enjoy this album. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "Profanum" "Daimon" and "Tornekraft". 8 out of 10.

Atel are a solo project from Glendale, California that plays a very raw and depressive form of black metal and this is a review of his 2015 demo "Demolishing Life, Embracing Death" which was released by Depressive Illusions Records.

A very dark and raw black metal sound starts off the demo along with the faster sections using a great amount of blast beats and the vocals are in a very high pitched and depressive style and you can hear a lot of influences from the 90's second wave underground style and the songs also bring in a great mixture of slow, mid paced and fast parts.

Spoken word samples can be heard briefly in one of the songs and after awhile depressive melodies can be heard in certain sections of the recording while the main focus remains on tremolo picking and power chords and a great portion of the tracks are very long and epic in length and one track brings in a brief use of synths while the music is mostly done in a very raw and heavy style of black metal and there is also a brief use of guitar leads before the outro.

Atel plays a style of depressive black metal that is more aggressive and raw than most bands of this style and they also bring a bit of the 90's style in the songs to create a very heavy and grim demo, the production sounds very raw and old school while the lyrics cover depression, death and darkness themes.

In my opinion Atel are a very great sounding raw and depressive solo black metal project and if you are a fan of this musical genre, you should check out this demo. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "Created In A Dark Void" and "High Gallows And Shallow Graves". 8 out of 10.

Wednesday, October 28, 2015

Aornos are a solo project from Hungary that plays an atmospheric form of black metal and this is a review of his 2015 album "Orior" which was released as a joint effort between Symbol Of Domination Productions and Black Plague Records.

Classical guitar playing which is also used on other songs as well starts off the album along with some keyboards a few seconds later and after the intro the music goes into a very fast and raw black metal direction along with a great amount of blast beats which are also mixed in with the atmospheric parts and after awhile grim black metal screams make their presence known on the recording.

When solos and leads are utilized they are done in more of a melodic style and the music also brings back some of the Norwegian keyboard mid 90's black metal style at times and you can also hear spoken word parts in certain sections of the recording and a great portion of the tracks are very long and epic in length.

All of the musical instruments on the recording have a very powerful sound to them and the songs also bring in a great mixture of slow, mid paced and fast parts and some songs also bring in a small amount of death metal growls and some songs also bring in clean singing and avant garde elements and some of the riffs also get very technical at times and the album closes with a cover of Emperor's "Ensorcelled By Khaos".

Aornos plays a style of black metal that is very epic and atmospheric and also goes back to the keyboard style of the mid 90's Norwegian bands and updates the style for the modern times, the production sounds very professional while the lyrics cover Cosmos, Nature and Existence themes.

In my opinion Aornos are a very great sounding epic and atmospheric black metal solo project and if you are a fan of this musical genre, you should check out this album. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "Avernus" "Dominus Vexator" "Desertus" and "Aere Perennius". 8 out of 10.

ChaosWolf area band from Mexico that plays a very raw and depressive form of black metal and this is a review of their 2015 album "Templo e Palabras Muertas" which was released as a joint effort between Symbol OfDomination Productions and Caligo Arcanum Productions.

A very dark and epic keyboard sound starts off the album while also returning briefly on later tracks and a few seconds later grim black metal screams make their presence known on the recording and they also have a very depressive tone to them at times and after the intro the music starts going into more of a heavy and melodic musical direction.

Most of the music is very heavily rooted in a raw and depressive style of black metal and clean singing can be heard at times and when the music speeds up a great amount of blast beats are utilized and the songs also bring in a great mixture of slow, mid paced and fast parts while the solos and leads remain true to an old school style of black metal while also using melodies at times and a couple of the tracks are long and epic in length and there is also a few seconds of clean playing being utilized at times and one track also brings in a brief use of spoken word sample.

ChaosWolf plays a style of black metal that is very raw and old school sounding while also mixing in depressive elements at times and a a couple of ambient instrumental tracks to make their music stand out a bit bit, the production is very raw and heavy sounding while the lyrics are written in Spanish and cover Lycanthropy, Philosophy, Chaos and Dischord themes.

In my opinion ChaosWolf are a very great sounding raw and depressive black metal band and if you are a fan of this musical genre, you should check out this recording. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "La Escision De Ouroboros" "Tanatema" "El Discurrir De Un Cancer Del Ser" and "The End Of Black Metal Paradise". 8 out of 10.

Amezarak are a solo project from Russia that plays a very raw, melodic, and satanic form of black metal and this is a review of his 2015 album "Diabolical Finale Mortum" which was released as a joint effort between Symbol Of Domination Productions, Darzamadicus Records and Morbid Skull Productions.

A very heavy guitar sound starts off the album before going into a very fast and raw black metal direction that also use a great amount of blast beats and high pitched and the riffs and leads also use a great amount of melody and all of the musical instruments have a very powerful sound to them.

Throughout the recording there is a great mixture of slow, mid paced and fast parts and some of the tracks are long and epic in length and some of the riffs bring in a touch of thrash and the music seems to be heavily influenced by the Swedish style of satanic and occult black metal of both the modern and old school styles and one of the tracks also bring in a brief use of clean playing and classical guitars while and both of the songs towards the end also adds in a small amount of keyboards.

Amezarak plays a style of black metal that is very raw and melodic and also captures the darkness and blasphemy you would expect to hear in some of the Swedish bands, the production sounds very powerful while the lyrics cover Satanism, Occultism and Darkness themes.

In my opinion Amezarak are a very great sounding raw and melodic satanic black metal solo project and if you are a fan of this musical genre, you should check out this album. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "The Smell Of The Tomb" "Necromancer" and "Eloa". 8 out of 10.

Tuesday, October 27, 2015

Dulia are a band from Italy that plays an atmospheric and occult mixture of black and death metal and this is a review of their 2015 ep "Hic Contendimus" which was released as a joint effort between Symbol Of Domination Records, Black Plague Records and Metallic Media.

A very dark and ritualistic keyboard starts off the ep and after awhile the music gets a lot more heavier and also adds in morbid sounding melodies that also in a touch of doom metal and the music brings in a good mixture of death metal growls and black metal screams and also mix the keyboards with the heavier parts.

When the music speeds up blast beats can be heard along some of the riffs also have a raw and old school feeling and all of the musical instruments have a very powerful sound to them and the solos and leads that are used are very dark and melodic sounding and the songs also bring in a great mixture of slow, mid paced and fast parts and there also a small amount of spoken word parts and they close the ep with a cover of Mystifier's "Beelzebuth".

Dulia plays a style of black/death metal that is very occult and ritualistic sounding in the early 90's fashion, the production sounds very dark and old school while the lyrics cover Occultism and Left Hand Path themes.

In my opinion Dulia are a very great sounding occult mixture of black and death metal and if you are a fan of those musical genres, you should check out this band. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "Theurgical Purification" and "Sword Of Martyrs". 8 out of 10.

From The Vastland are a solo project originally from Iran but now located in Norway that plays a very raw and melodic form of black metal and this is a review of his 2015 "Blackhearts" which was released as a joint effort between Symbol Of Domination Productions, Hexenreich Records and Shpera Noctis Records.

A very dark and melodic sound starts off the ep before getting heavier along with some grim black metal screams and after awhile the music goes into a very fast and raw direction along with a great amount of blast beats and the songs also bring in a great mixture of slow, mid paced and fast parts.

All of the musical instruments on the recording have a very powerful sound to them and you can also hear spoken word parts at times and most of the tracks are long and epic in length and when solos and leads are utilized they are very melodic and exotic sounding and one track also brings in a brief use of clean playing while keyboards are brought into the closing song.

From The Vastland plays a style of black metal that is very raw and melodic and also brings in some influences from his home country to create a style of his own, the production sounds very raw yet heavy at the same time while the lyrics cover Zoroastrianism, Persian and Mesopotemian Mythology.

In my opinion From The Vastland are a very raw and melodic style of black metal and if you are a fan of this musical genre, you should check out this ep. RECOMMENDED TRACK "Blackhearts". 8 out of 10.

Ildverden are a solo project from Ukraine that plays a pagan form of black metal and this is a review of his 2015 album "Temnich Black /is Me" which was released as a joint effort between Satanath Records and Pagan Flames Productions.

Atmospheric keyboards and firewood burning start off the album and most of the tracks are very long and epic in length and once the music gets heavy it goes into a very fast and raw black metal along with a great amount of blast beats and grim screams and the songs bring in a great mixture of slow, mid paced and fast parts.

Keyboards mix in with the heavier parts quite a bit throughout the recording and the music is very heavily rooted in the 90's second wave style being more close to the Polish or Slavic style of that era and also brings in a decent amount of melodies at times and all of the musical instruments have a very powerful sound to them and when guitar leads are utilized briefly they are done in a more raw and melodic direction and one of the tracks brings in a brief use of folk instruments and clean playing while the album closes with a cover of Satyricon's "The Wolfpack".

Ildverden plays a style of pagan black metal that is very raw and atmospheric as well as bringing back some of the mid 90's Eastern European style, the production sounds very raw and heavy while the lyrics are written in Ukrainian and cover Paganism themes.

In my opinion Ildverden are a very great sounding pagan black metal project and if you are a fan of this musical genre, you should check out this album. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "Dark Swirl Dalych" and "The Flash Of Lightning In Their Eyes". 8 out of 10.

1.For those that have never heard of you before, can you tell us a little bit about the band?

- Hi everyone, we are Ashes of Nowhere, a post black metal band from Italy. Our music is who we are, so log on to www.facebook.com/ashesofnowhere to find out everything there is to know about us.

2.In August you had released a new album, how would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the recording?

- It's a mix of the aggressive sound of traditional black metal with post black's pathos and melodies.

We aim for a connection between the listener and its darkest, deepest side, trough the atmosphere and the emotions, that permeate the album

3.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the music?

- The album's concept is based on mankind's connection to death time and desire.

Lyrics are inspired by a deep analysis of life experiences, above all humanity's fear of time elapsing and consuming everything; and the rebirth through self-annihilation, in order to reach the void and the end of suffering.

4.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Ashes Of Nowhere'?

- We started composing the album before thinking of anything else.The name Ashes of Nowhere just seemed to get along perfectly with the whole concept of Emptiness.

5.Currently there are only 2 members in the band, are you planning on expanding the line up in the future or do you chose to remain a duo?

- You never know, let's see where the future leads us.

6.Currently you are unsigned are you looking for a a label or have received any interest?

- We are doing things on our own right now, but we are looking for the right label to sign with

7.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of post black metal?

- Fans have been great to us, some of the comments and feedbacks really put a smile on our faces. We even managed to get to know some of them.

8.Are any of the band members also involved with any other bands or musical projects?

- A crust black metal band called Rest, whose album will come out in November.

9.Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?

- As long as we are doing what we love, we just hope the band is going to have a bright long future in front it.

10.What are some of the bands or musical styles that have had an influence on your music and also what are you listening to nowadays?

- We listen to many metal genres, as far as black metal is concerned, we are inspired by some classic bands such as Dissection, Anorexia Nervosa, darkthrone or emperor, and modern bands like deafheaven or wolves in the throne room.

11.What are some of your non musical interests?

- ''Emptiness''

12.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?

Meneapneontes are a band from Greece that plays an epic form of Hellenic black metal and this is a review of their 2015 album "Promachos" which was released as a joint effort between Satanath Records and Murdher Records.

A very dark and melodic sound starts off the album and after a few seconds deep and grim black metal screams make their presence known on the recording along with some solos and leads that also utilize a great amount of melody and spoken word parts can also be heard in certain sections of the recording.

When the music speeds up the music starts having more of a raw black metal style along with a small amount of blast beats and when classical guitars and melodic pagan chants are utilized they bring in more of an epic and medieval atmosphere and the songs also bring in a great mixture of slow, mid paced and fast parts and some of the riffs and vocals also bring in a touch of death metal at times while the music is mostly rooted in the 90's style of Greek black metal.

Meneapneontes plays a musical style that goes back to the melodic side of Hellenic black metal that also brings the epic atmosphere of the past, the production sounds very raw and old school while the lyrics cover Greek Mythology and History.

In my opinion Meneapneontes are a very great sounding epic Hellenic black metal band and if you are a fan of this musical genre, you should check out this album. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "Promachos" "Sons Of The Greeks" "My Earth, My Water" and "Raise The Aspis". 8 out of 10.

Monday, October 26, 2015

Funebria are a band from Venezuela that plays a fast and blasphemous mixture of black and death metal and this is a review of their 2015 album "Dekatherion: Ten Years Of Hate & Pride" which was released as a joint effort between Satanath Records and Darzamadicus Records.

A very dark and epic synth intro starts off the album and after the intro the music gets getting more heavier and after awhile melodies are added into the music along with the music getting more fast as well as adding in grim black metal screams, blast beats and death metal growls and the songs also bring in a great mixture of slow, mid paced and fast parts.

A great amount of melody can be heard in some of the riffing and all of the musical instruments have a very powerful sound to them and you can also hear an influence of thrash in the bands musical style and the solos and leads also add a great amount of melody into the songs and synths also make their return in certain sections of the recording and one track also brings in a brief use of spoken word parts.

Funebria plays a musical style that takes a very fast and melodic style of black metal and mixes it with death metal and a touch of thrash to create a style of their own, the production sounds very powerful while the lyrics cover darkness, blasphemy and Occultism themes.

In my opinion Funebria are a very great sounding mixture of black and death metal and if you are a fan of those musical genres, you should check out this band. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "Serpent Sign" "Divide & Conquer" and "Cult Of Cosmic Destruction". 8 out of 10.

Ancient Spheres are a band from Costa Rica that plays a very raw and melodic form of black metal and this is a review of their 2015 album "In Conspiracy With The Night" which was released as a joint effort between Satanath Records and More Hate Productions.

Nighttime and nature sounds start off the album along with some tribal and shamanistic elements being utilized in the background and after the intro the music goes into more of a raw and melodic black metal direction along with some grim screams and all of the musical instruments have a very powerful sound to them.

Blast beats can be heard quite a bit throughout the recording and the music is very heavily rooted in the 90's and the solos and leads also seem to be very heavily influenced by the melodic Swedish black metal style and some of the riffs also bring in a touch of thrash at times a and the also mix the Native American sounds in with the heavier parts.

At times the songs also bring in a great mixture of slow, mid paced and fast parts and as the album progresses a brief use of death metal growls can be heard and on the bonus tracks spoken word parts and chanting are brought into the music and they also give the songs more of a ritualistic feeling and on song also brings in a few seconds of war samples.

Ancient Spheres plays a style of black metal that is very raw, melodic and old school sounding while also mixing in the culture of their home country which also makes the music stand out a bit more, the production sounds very raw and heavy while the lyrics cover the ancient tribes of Costa Rica such as Bribris, Darkness and Obscurtanism themes.

In my opinion Ancient Spheres are a very great sounding fast, raw and melodic black metal band and if you are a fan of this musical genre, you should check out this album. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "Invoking Darkness" "Emperors Of The Night" "My Ancient Spirits" and "Serkes". 8 out of 10.

Vision Lunar was created on October 6th of 2006, a night of full moon. At the time I was part of a circle named Triskalyon. In this "supergroup", every member named their solo projects "Vision something", in reference to Les Legions Noires, who named their solo projects "Project something". Since my new project was to be my dedication to the moon, I named it "Vision Lunar". I thought it sounded proper for an atmospheric black metal band name.

2.Can you give us an update on what has been going on with the musical project since the release of the new EP?

The new Vision Lunar EP, "Luna Subortus", was only released a month ago, so I haven't really had much time to do anything other than promoting it. I've been handling the distribution and promotion of the album in North America through Abridged Pause Recordings, while Winterwolf Records is taking care of Europe. Thus far I've done a few interviews and it's been great to talk about the band once again. The last time that I was interviewed about Vision Lunar was in October of 2010, when the "Phase One (2006-2009)" compilation was released. A lot has changed since then.

3.How would you describe the sound of the new EP? Does it differ from the stuff you have released in the past?

Better recording equipment is definitely the main change. I constantly had problems with the old setup at Mortified Studios from 2007 all the way through 2010. In 2014 I bought a really good external sound card so the recording session for the new material was almost flawless.

To compare the new sound to the old one, I'd say that the new recordings are a little thicker, more sludge/doom sounding, while remaining black metal. The old material was more tin-canny and sounded like primitive black metal, close to a Burzum production, which was not intentional, it was only due to poor recording equipment. In the future I plan to develop the thicker sound further. I'm a big fan of Black Autumn and Michael Krall's production.

4.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been of the new music by fans of atmospheric black metal?

Every fan of Vision Lunar from the 2006-2007 era vanished long ago. In fact I had to find a new market when I released, what was at the time a discography, the compilation "Phase One (2006-2009)" in October of 2010. The reception for that was great and so many blogs wrote and posted about it.

But now five years later, all those blogs are gone! I had to start from scratch once again and promote the music to a new market, to people who had never heard of Vision Lunar before. That's why I took the time to write an extremely detailed biography of the project, which I published at the same time as I announced the revival of Vision Lunar, in August of 2015. I also reissued "Phase One (2006-2009)" through Abridged Pause Recordings, on a limited edition CD, to give the new fans a chance to hear the old material.

The reception that I got with reviews of "Luna Subortus" has been amazing. I'm getting far more compliments than I was expecting! I'd love to find out what the old fans think of the new material though.

5.All of the music on the new EP is instrumental, are you planning on using vocals and lyrics again in the future?

Vision Lunar has been an instrumental band since the very beginning. I have never used any vocals on past recordings and I don't intend on exploring that in the future either.

6.This is the first recording to be released in eight years, can you tell us a little bit more about what happened during that time?

The final Vision Lunar recording session took place in November of 2007. I then spent a little over a year trying to find band members to expand the solo project into a full band. But that didn't work out. So in early 2009 I announced that Vision Lunar was dead.

Between 2009 and 2015 I played in a couple of metal bands (Lanterns Awake, Murder on Redpath) but mostly focused on my ambient projects. I released quite a few EPs and LPs from those projects, including "Echoes From Forgotten Hearts" and "The Last Great Torch Song" by Vision Éternel and "Memories of a City", "Bonjour Tristesse" and "Adieu Tristesse" by Soufferance. My ambient band, Citadel Swamp, has also released a few singles. I also collaborated on a song with Éphémère, which I believe is one of the best song I have ever done. Apart from my own music, I dedicated a lot of my time to my company, Abridged Pause.

7.Can you tell us a little bit about Abridged Pause Recordings?

Abridged Pause Recordings is my record label. It was founded in February of 2008, while I was still operating Mortification Records (since 2006). In the beginning Mortification Records was to be the netlabel division, releasing black metal demos and my own music, while Abridged Pause Recordings was to release vinyls and CDs from indie, post-rock, sludge and post-metal bands. The first four bands to be signed to Abridged Pause Recordings in late 2008 were Black Autumn, Dreams of the Drowned, Ethereal Beauty and my solo project Vision Éternel (because I was planning a split 7" with Ethereal Beauty).

The first Abridged Pause Recordings release was "Diluvian Temperals", a compilation featuring exclusive songs from Black Autumn, Black Sand and Starless Nights, Dying Sun, Feos, Kailash, Last Minute to Jaffna, Omega Centauri, Parabstruse, Pet Slimmers of the Year, Semiosis, Smohalla, Somnam and Tower. After that I also worked with Beyond the Dune Sea, Kailash, Phlegma and Stagnant Waters on individual releases.

I closed down Mortification Records in 2010 (after the release of Vision Lunar's "Phase One (2006-2009)" compilation) and shifted the focus of Abridged Pause Recordings to release mostly my own music. I also established imprints under the Abridged Pause enterprise umbrella; Abridged Pause Publishing, a publishing company that protects the copyrights to all the music released on Abridged Pause Recordings on top of securing my own music's catalog; Abridged Pause Apparel, the merchandising division, which thus far has only produced a few t-shirts; and the Abridged Pause Blog, which is where my profession comes in. I'm a music biographer and archivist and I publish all my retrospectives and documentaries on that blog.

I am currently putting together a second various artists compilation, to be released through Abridged Pause Recordings, that should be out in early 2016. Some of the confirmed bands include Black Autumn, Black Sand and Starless Nights, Brainscan, Citadel Swamp, Éphémère, In Cauda Venenum, Pet Slimmers of the Year and Spectrale. I plan to settle with thirteen to seventeen bands, so more artists will be announced soon. There is also a Vision Éternel boxset in the works and two Soufferance boxsets in the distant future.

8.Are you currently involved with any other bands or musical projects these days?

I usually always have multiple musical projects active during the same period, but I never compose or record for more than one at a time. I will focus on a single album, finish it, then move on to the next band with another idea.

For example, in the fall of 2014 I composed and recorded the Vision Éternel EP "Echoes From Forgotten Hearts". It was released in February of 2015, by which time I was already demoing new Soufferance material. During this Soufferance session I accidentally composed two atmospheric black metal songs, which eventually became the new Vision Lunar material that sparked the creation of "Luna Subortus". But since I was focusing on Soufferance at the time, I put those songs away and forgot about them. I eventually finished the Soufferance session and in the spring I started recording a couple of new Citadel Swamp songs. But when I hit a writers block, I stumbled on the two atmospheric black metal demos again and jumped on a new Vision Lunar session instead. I know that this probably makes it seem like I am constantly composing, but I can sometimes go six months without picking up my guitar, before falling into a creative phase.

As of right now, in the autumn of 2015, I would say that Citadel Swamp is taking up most of my time. Citadel Swamp is an ambient band that I formed in January of 2011 with Valerio Orlandini (from Symbiosis and Norv). Over the years we've had a few other band members join, but we've remained the longest-lasting members. Some of those other members include Bruno Duarte (from Immundus) who joined in March of 2011, but was kicked out after collaborating on only one song, and Marc Hoyland (from Hoyland, Plaguewielder, Thornland, Ethereal Forest, Heathen Deity, Nefarious Dusk, Wither and 13 Candles) who had a brief and fruitless collaboration in February of 2014. The newest addition to the band is Lucas Martin (aka Unsilent, from Almofar, The Descent Of The Sun and Levrij), who I will be composing new material with.

Vision Éternel is still active but I'm not working on any new material. I plan to release a boxset entitled "An Anthology of Past Misfortunes" in 2016. The box will contain all the previously released EPs, each featuring a bonus disc with the b-sides and alternate takes from the recording sessions. The box will have extra room for the future EPs to easily fit in. Soufferance on the other hand is on an unofficial hiatus and I don't know what the future holds for it. There will be at least two more boxsets, one entitled "Tristesse", another entitled "Memories", which will (together with the already released "Travels" boxset) encompass everything ever recorded by that project.

9.What are some of the bands and musical styles that have influenced your new music? What are you listening to nowadays?

My favourite band has been Faith No More since the early 2000's. It would be difficult to pinpoint how their sound influences me in a black metal project, but their impact is definitely there in my subconscious creativity. In the early days of Vision Lunar, that would be October of 2006 to November of 2007, Necrophobic, Nachtfalke, Dissection (specifically "Storm of the Light’s Bane"), Immortal (specifically "At the Heart of Winter") and Burzum (specifically "Hvis Lyset Tar Oss") were particularly influential.

In the new phase I would cite Black Autumn, Eliminator (from New Jersey), Brainscan (from New Jersey), Enslaved (circa 2000-2006), Negură Bunget, Dordeduh and Bathory (circa 1988-1991) as major influences.

Other than what's listed already, I've been listening to Den Andre Lys, Sorrowbringer, Seas of Years, Brave the Waters and Semper Dolens. I also really like the Toronto band Pile High, but that's another genre far away from Vision Lunar.

10.With this musical project you record everything by yourself. Do you prefer working solo to working with a full band?

On one hand, I like the idea of working alone because it's a no-compromise situation. I only have myself to please and I don't have to keep anything in the song that I don't truly like. On the other hand, I do enjoy the creative boost that comes from working with other talented musicians.

In 2008 I tried very hard to transform Vision Lunar from a solo project into a full band. A few people tried out and were interested, including Phillip Altobelli of Triskalyon, Josh McConnell of Mad Parish and Mike Dyball of Priestess. Nothing materialized, but had this happened, I would have likely changed the band's name. Not because my approach to the music would have differed but because the end result with outside creativity would have been much greater than what Vision Lunar encompassed in the beginning.

11.To wrap up this interview, what are the future plans for Vision Lunar?

Had this question been asked a month ago I would have answered that I had two more EPs already in the making. I had originally planned to follow up "Luna Subortus" with a three-song "post-blackend sludge metal" EP, made up of reworked, unreleased Lanterns Awake material. Following that I would have released another three-song "frostland sludgecore" EP, made up of reworked, unreleased Murder on Redpath material.

But when reading the reviews for "Luna Subortus", one thing kept being mentioned almost every single time; people want a full-length album. So I decided to go for that idea. It's a new direction for Vision Lunar, since initially I was only releasing singles in 2006 and 2007. This year I attempted an EP and people still want more songs! It's very flattering. I'm not sure if all, or any of the songs planned for the other two EPs will be used on the full-length. One thing that I am confident about is that it will be a concept album. I would also like to have a few guests on it. Thanks for this interview and thanks for caring!

Saturday, October 24, 2015

>> 1.Can you give us an update on what is going on with the band these days?>> First of all, thanx for your interest in our band.>> The new album "The Burning Fanatism" is completed from some times but will be released in the next days by Avantgarde Music. The recordings started in december 2011, and due to many shit happened during the following years, it seems that only now we have arrived at the end of this tunnel. Of course in the meantime we have done some other split releases as usual, ad there were many line-up changes as always in the story of the band. Actually we are putting the last touches on the material for a split album with italian band Vardan that will be released probably at the end of the year, and we have already completed works for a new full lenght album. There is always lot of ideas and stuff coming.>> 2.Recently you have released a new album, how would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the recording and also how does it differ from the stuff you have released in the past?>> Due to some delay with the pressing plant, the album will be released during the last week of october. The music is always the same, as everything in the album was written by me (except one riff). The differences of course are into performance, as the musicians involved are the top for this genre: I found useless to write any kind of adjectives regarding Shatraug and Thorns. They are just the best. Differences can be found also into recording: we are raw as usual, but in a more professional way thanx to the help of the friends involved like Davide from Frostmoon Eclipse.>> 3.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the newer music?>> I usually write always about the same things: hate towards the society surrounding me. Its the same since the beginning, sometimes it comes in a different way and wrapped into a sort of little fiction story, but most of the time I go straight to the point. I don't like this philosophical way into black metal, I prefer a fist in the face. New stuff is more or less the same, also if the subjects could seems different. For example, the next full length is a concept album based on tv series Twin Peaks, exploring the human side of it, the connection between the evil and obscure subjects with the humans.>> 4.A few months back you where a part of a split with 'Korium', what are your thoughts on the other band that had participated on the recording?>> I simply love Korium. I feel a deep respect for Koronas, one of the few individual totally devoted to to a certain way to intend black metal. We need more projects like this into the black metal music.>> 5.What are some of the best shows that the band has played over the years and also how would you describe your stage performance?>> Since the beginning of the band, our live activity is too little to pick up a best show. I can say at a personal level that I will never forget playing some of our old gigs because we shared the night with some of my favourite bands, but its just something regarding me, its not about a memorable concert for fans, like Kiss or Maiden. We go on the stage and we just try to unleash the same vibes that we have when we create our music.>> 6.Do you have any touring or show plans for the new album?>> The idea is to organize a number of selected shows to support the new album during the year 2016. One is already confirmed for June the 2nd, the Howling At The Moon Festival, together with our czech brothers Inferno and others bands to be confirmed. We hope to confirm some other gigs in the next months. Actually I am trying to work on a more solid stage persona image for the whole band, to support visually the same impact of the music. Nothing particular anyway, we don't need and nobody need it.>> 7.I know that one of the band members also runs 'Slava Satan Records', can you give us an update on what is going on with that label these days?>> I am behind the label, that was, is and will be always an hobby. As every little underground label, the activities are strictly connected with the problems related to private life, so actually is in a sort of "on-hold" status. I will release for sure Tundra stuff under this name, and some other little things strictly connected with my close contacts, but for the rest I am not searching new bands and new releases to press.>> 8.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to the newer music by fans of black metal?>> The term "worldwide" seems so weird when connected with my band. We are a very little entity, of course we have our little amount of followers (and I am glad and honoured of it), so I can't really talk about a worldwide feedback. I can say that everytime we have a new release out, some maniacs are interested to get it, so I am feeling great.>> 9.What is going on with some of the other bands or musical projects these days that some of the band members are a part of?>> I sometimes help a friend of mine with the black metal project Agonia Blackvomit: there is a new album based on an interesting concept out on the end of the year. I also help my brothers in Lost Reflection, an hard \ rock bands, so I can entertain myself playing my Precision Bass as my hero Steve Harris. The actual Tundra guitar player is involved into the black metal project Under (they have a split cd out the past september) and also play bass into the hardcore band Galera, they have a strong sound and a very dedicated underground approach.>> 10.Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?>> We are heading nowhere. As usually most of the music and lyrics are coming from me, and I am not going to change my style, I don't feel the need. Sometimes stuff will be more raw and lo-fi, sometimes will be more atmospheric, but its always the same story: we have a strong derivative and unoriginal style, but with every new releases people tell me that it sounds Tundra. 80% of my lifetime I listen to Iron Maiden, so for sure you will forever find melodies in our music.>> 11.What are some of the bands or musical styles that have had an influence on your newer music and also what are you listening to nowadays?>> As I have already wrote, I listen mainly Iron Maiden since I was a child, I totally worship their works, also the new ones and the Blaze-era. Of course I am a sort of music-addicted, I buy cds every week, most of the times I don't pay the bills of my house to buy cds. I like many styles, but Black Metal is still my favourite, and I smile when I read or listen people telling that the genre is dead. My musical influences are all here, into Iron Maiden and into Black Metal. Films and books are also an inspiration, but mainly the daily shitty life.>> 12.How would you describe your views on Satanism and Occultism?>> Regarding Occultism, I was always fascinated by this topic. Unfortunately I never had the time, and probably the guts, to examinate it in a deep way. Talking about Satanism, I use this word to convey a personal way to intend all the aspects of my life. I don't tend to be part of any religious circle (apart when we talk about my favourite soccer team).>>> 13.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?>>> Again, thank you for interest in Tundra and for the interview, really appreciated. You can find info about our activities through our official website or following our facebook page. My last thought is for Vlad Blasphemer from Maniac Butcher, that recently left us forever.

Friday, October 23, 2015

Hatecrowned are a band from Lebanon that plays a very raw and misanthropic form of black metal and this is a review of their 2015 album "Newborn Serpent" which was released as a joint effort between Satanath Records and Darzamadicus Records.

Clean guitars start off the album along with some deep and grim black metal screams a few seconds later that also get high pitched after awhile along with heavy guitars also making their presence known and after the intro the music goes into more of a fast and raw direction along with a great amount of blast beats.

Throughout the recording you can hear a great mixture of slow, mid paced and fast parts and when solos and leads are utilized they are very dark and melodic sounding and the fast riffs also use a great amount of tremolo picking and at times the music brings in an old school Swedish vibe in the faster sections of the music.

Some of the riffs and growls also add a touch of death metal onto the recording and they also bring in a brief avant garde instrumental before returning back to a true style of black metal which also shows some of the riffs also bring in more morbid sounding melodies and there is also a track that also brings in a brief use of acoustic guitars and the title track is very long and epic in length and all of the musical instruments have a very powerful sound to them.

Hatecrowned plays a musical style that is very heavily rooted mostly in the very fast, raw and heavy European black metal tradition and also add in a touch of death metal to create a very heavy album, the production sounds very powerful and heavy while the lyrics cover Misanthropy, Darkness, Death and Anti Cosmic Luciferianism themes.

In my opinion Hatecrowned are a very great sounding heavy, fast and raw misanthropic black metal band and if you are a fan of this musical genre, you should c heck out this album. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "Infest And Conquer" "Newborn Serpent" and "Wolves". 8 out of 10.

For those that have never heard of you before, can you tell us a little bit about the musical project? Unrest is a 1 man USBM band much in the vein of Leviathan, Burzum, Judas Iscariot, Xasthur, etc. Basically one man’s way to express his contempt for the world.

So far you have release a full length and a split, how would you describe the musical sound that is present on both of the recordings? I’ve also just released an EP call “Son of Midwestern Darkness”. But that just was unleashed a few weeks ago. As far as the sound, I describe it as a wall of chaos that doesn’t wash over you but goes through you, it stains your very soul. No gimmicks. no tricks. No Eddie Van Halen virtuoso mess. Just a straight forward punch in the face.

3. What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects you explore with your music? Nihilism, Misanthropy, Self-hatred. Those are the 3 biggest. Not incredibly original I know because everyone under the sun has the same concepts. But I’m just a guy who hates the world and everyone/everything in it, and want to scream about it. And the self hatred part isn’t the “oh woe is me, I’m so sad.”. It’s more of I’m part of the problem too and should probably exterminate myself much like the rest of humanity. I have the words “I Have Walked Away From The Human Race” tattooed on me for a reason.

4. What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name “Unrest”. Well, when it originally started, I called it “Eternal Unrest” because at the time I initially liked how it sounded. But shortly after I thought that was kind of too long for a name. I prefer one word names. They have more impact to me at least. A singular name can become a symbol or much like with the black metal logos, a piece of art. As for the meaning/inspiration, Unrest means “a disturbed or uneasy state”. Which is incredibly fitting for basically who I am as a person. Not in the sense of “hurr durr, I’m a serial killer” or any kind of childish nonsense like that. I, like many other people have my own demons that I don’t believe will ever be exorcised.

5. With this musical project you record everything by yourself, are you open to working with other musicians or do you prefer the solo route a lot more? Actually the whole by myself thing was born out of necessity. I’ve been trying to find like minded individuals to form an entire band for a very long time. I could never get all the components at the same time. So I just got sick and tired of dealing with unreliable, flaky people that I just said fuck it and decided to do it all myself. I didn’t even play guitar until about 2 years ago. I had played bass in every other band I had been in for the past 12 years. Never even knew how to use a guitar pick or anything. So I got a guitar and rig, then took some lessons and went from there. Luckily I went to college for Audio production, so the recording/programming drums and tons was already extremely easy for me. Used to I would’ve said I would love to have a full time band to do this. But doing it all myself is extremely refreshing. There’s no one I have to please but myself. I don’t have to practice with a bunch of people and teach them songs and then practice those to death and then take 6 months before they can be played at a show. I can basically write, demo, record then be done with it. It’s a wonderful feeling.

6. Recently you were part of a split with Idolatry, what are your thoughts on the other band that had participated on the recording. LOVE those guys. I’m actually good friends with Lord Matzigkeitus. We met online when I was searching for another band to do a split with. Come to find out we’re are into a lot of the same things and just kind of hit it off. I love everything they do. When they were looking for a bass player I had considered moving to Canada just to join them. I’m hoping one day I can assemble a live band just so I can play shows with those guys.

7. So far your release have been put out by Appalachian Noise, can you tell us a little bit about this label. Appalachian Noise Records was actually started by myself. Again out of necessity. I had demos for Isolation done and sent them out to several labels and whatnot to see if there was any interest because I am still virtually unknown and was hoping someone would bite and take it from there because I really didn’t want to self release. After about the 10th rejection and a bunch of unreturned emails and phone calls I finally just decided to do it myself. I’m a pretty stubborn and driven individual and if someone doesn’t want to play ball I basically just DIY it and do it better than they could of. I can be kind of a control freak at times when it comes to my art and what I want to accomplish. So it’s probably best that if I just handle it all myself anyway. Oddly enough there were people who were into it and wanted me to sign their bands. It was one of those things that I just started for my own uses and it has now grown to where I have a few bands I’ve released material for and have a few more things in the pipe. It’s weird being my own boss.

8. The musical project has been around since 2004, but you waited until 2014 to release any music, can you tell us a little bit more about the first 10 years. When I started it in 2004 I actually had a full band. We had a few songs worked on and almost done and were talking about doing a demo. Everything was ready to go, then just fizzled out because the other guys lost interest or what, I don’t know. Unrest at the time was our side band because the other guys were in other full time bands and couldn’t dedicate the kind of time to it like I wanted to. So I kept trying to find more people and would find a guitar player here and there, or a drummer every now and then. Most of which would stick around for a few months, or we would write some songs and then they would bail. In 2009 it almost took off. I had 2 guitar players and had a friend who agreed to play drums on the demo. I thought it was finally gonna happen. Then one day the main guitarist/songwriter decides he was going to sell all of his belongings and move to California. So it died on the vine right there. I was also in a full time band at the time that was extremely busy doing shows and mini tours pretty much every week/weekend that I put Unrest kind of the back burner and would revisit it when I had the time. Every now and then I would demo out some weird ambient tracks with just bass and programmed drums and thought about releasing material that way. But I was never happy with it and would just scrap it. After my last serious band ended in 2012 I thought I was pretty much done with music. Then of course I got the itch again and tried one more time to find guys for Unrest. After about 6 months of more of the same(flaky people bailing constantly) I decided that I’m going to jump in the deep end with both feet and just do everything myself. Bought a guitar and amp and never looked back. It’s been the best decision I’ve ever made.

9. On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of black metal? Surprisingly positive. I never thought in a million years some songs I wrote in my home studio and recorded would reach as far as it has. People in Japan have downloaded my music. I found a torrent site in Russia that some kid uploaded my album illegally. I’ve shipped cassettes and vinyl to Europe, Canada, and South America. It’s insane to me. Overall the people that have listened to it are very into and spread the filth. Which I’ll be forever grateful for.

10. Where do you see yourself heading into a musician in the future? The sky’s the limit. This has gotten my name out in the black metal community and I’ve recently started collaborating with other musicians for a yet unnamed project that will be coming out soon. As far as Unrest, I’m planning on doing this until I just don’t want to anymore. I’m going to try and flesh out my sound a little more. Experiment a little more. Just see where it takes me. At the end of the day, this is my outlet. As long as I’m happy with how it’s coming out and how I’m expressing myself, I could give a shit what anyone else thinks.

11. What are some of the bands or musical styles that have had an influence on your music and also what are you listening to nowadays? The first black metal band I ever heard was Darkthrone. I was 10 years old and it scared the shit out of me. Transylvanian Hunger pretty much set me on my path. That’s incredibly cliche’ but it’s the truth. Of course Leviathan, Crebain, Judas Iscariot, Xasthur,and Burzum are gigantic influences. They showed me that it can really just be you doing it and still come out phenomenal. I also love Dissection, Krieg and Emperor. If I could make an album half as good as any of theirs I can die happy. I’m from a very small town in rural Ohio. So I grew up around a lot of old Outlaw Country like Hank Williams and there was a lot of Bluegrass being played everywhere you went. You can’t directly hear it in my music, but it’s there. Crowbar is another big influence. The way Kirk makes riffs had a very profound effect on me. If you have a good riff first, the rest will fall into place.

As far as listening to nowadays. Aside from the stuff listed above(because I’m also listening to Burzum or Leviathan), some of it is very “untrve”. I’m a huge Deafheaven fan. I catch so much shit for that. But I really don’t care. If you like it, then you like it and fuck anyone else’s opinion. I’ve been a fan since their demo came out. It’s not black metal in the “trve” sense. But there are flourishs. Kerry McCoy and George Clark like some of the darkness. It’s interesting to see where they’re taking it. Just found this phenomenal band called Ghost Bath who I haven’t stopped listening to for the past 4 days. Just really well done “post” black metal. It’s depressing and wonderful. There’s this other band I’ve been spinning recently called Pyramids. They just released an album not to long ago called “A Northern Meadow”. The music at first listen sounds like it shouldn’t make sense. But it does in the weirdest way possible and it fucks me up. The Pig Destroyer reissue Relapse just did of Prowler in the Yard made me fall in love with that album all over again. I’m also a huge melodeath fan, so the new Black Dahlia Murder album came at a perfect time this fall. The new Archgoat album punches me in the throat every time I play it. I could probably write another 10 pages of what I’m listening to right now. I’ve always got music playing and always getting new stuff to play. It’s exciting to find new, good music.

12. Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts? Just because you can’t find like minded people to play music with doesn’t mean you have to sit around like a bump on a log and do nothing. Modern technology has made it ridiculously easy to make your music. It just takes time and money. And because I’m a shameless self promoter, visit www.appalachiannoiserecords.com and eternalunrest.bandcamp.com and download/buy something. Support the underground!!!!!